Lung Transplant Program

The Lung Transplant program at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi is one of the first in the region to provide experienced care for patients who have received, or require lung transplant surgery. In the past, patients may have needed to travel abroad for lung transplant evaluation and surgery, which is no longer necessary with the establishment of our program. Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi provides comprehensive pre-transplant evaluation, transplant, surgery, and long-term post-transplant care.

ONE STEP AT A TIME, TOGETHER Click here to learn about the importance of lung cancer screening

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s Transplant Center provides innovative transplantation services to patients from across the region. Our center was the UAE’s first and only multi-organ transplant facility and has performed 386 transplants since its launch in 2017.

• Comprehensive lung transplant program serving UAE/MENA/GCC
• Innovative Transplantation Services to Patients Across the Region
• First double lung and liver transplant 
• ECMO Program for bridge to transplant
• Multidisciplinary care of advanced lung diseases
  • Cystic fibrosis
  • Pulmonary fibrosis
  • Pulmonary hypertension
  • COPD
  • Covid related lung diseases
  • ILD/HP/NSIP/IPF

When is a Transplant Needed?

Lung transplant surgery is now a widely accepted treatment option for patients with advanced end-stage lung diseases. Lung transplant is typically recommended for patients who have not achieved successful results with other available treatments.

Some of the conditions that can be treated with lung transplant surgery include:

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
• Cystic fibrosis
• Idiopathic pulmonary hypertension
• Bronchiectasis
• Sarcoidosis
• Interstitial lung disease (ILD).

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s Lung Transplant program is led by experts from around the world who specialize in providing comprehensive care both pre-and-post transplant.

Pre-Transplant Evaluation

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi offers specialized care programs for a number of conditions that may require lung transplant surgery when other treatments have not been effective.

Pre-transplant patients will undergo a number of evaluations and tests across different specialties, which may vary depending on the person’s age and medical history. A holistic evaluation will follow, along with recommendations from our specialized lung transplant surgeons.

Transplant Surgery

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi is able to provide all surgical options for lung transplants including single and double lung transplantation.

The duration of the surgery varies and may take up to 10 hours. Rigorous preparation is done by all caregivers at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi with the patient and his or her family to ensure the best possible medical outcome and comfort of the patient’s loved ones.

Post-Transplant Treatment

Post-transplant care is centered primarily on close monitoring for signs that the organ is being rejected, or that the patient is developing an infection.

Follow-up support for post-surgery patients includes regular consultations with a pulmonologist specializing in lung transplant care. Specific tests that may be conducted include:

• Pulmonary function tests: A range of tests used to measure how well the patient is able to breathe in and out, and how efficiently the lungs provide oxygen to the blood.
• Blood tests: A blood sample will be taken and analyzed at our lab.
• Kidney function tests: Blood and urine tests may be used to assess how well the kidneys are filtering waste products from the blood.
• Anti-rejection medication level measurement: After a lung transplant, patients will be given immunosuppressant drugs to prevent rejection. The levels of these medications will be monitored by the post-transplant team.

In select patients, bronchoscopy may be used to check for acute rejection or acute infections. If lung transplant complications are identified, the Lung Transplant program will provide appropriate treatment.